Monthly Archives: November 2011

Cuckoo Clocks and Plastic Socks

Posted on November 24, 2011 by

Off in pursuit of bookshops once more, this time with a fresh companion, younger daughter Tilly (Ottilie), princess of retro.   “Portobello Road” she sings in a slightly demented fashion on our way to the underground, “Street where the riches of … Continue reading →

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The Whole Art of Dress

Posted on November 17, 2011 by

I saw it again just the other day in the Spectator Book Blog – “shabby second hand book dealers”. What is this?  Why are booksellers almost invariably described as shabby?   Even Hugh Grant was referred to as “yes, the shabby … Continue reading →

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Frances Currer

Posted on November 10, 2011 by

Frances Currer – not, I suspect,  a household name – but (on safari for today in time rather than place) let me tell you.  A book found on my recent travels – and (having seen it once before) I was … Continue reading →

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Fireworks

Posted on November 7, 2011 by

One thing you do always know in advance about the Chelsea Book Fair is that it falls on the weekend nearest to Bonfire Night.  The ride home on the Saturday evening will be always punctuated by the crack of rockets … Continue reading →

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Whatroaches? Bookroaches!

Posted on November 3, 2011 by

“So could secondhand [book-]shops be the cockroaches that survive this nuclear winter?” – the somewhat  startling question posed by Mark Mason in his recent “Back to the Future”  piece on The Spectator’s book-blog (link to the right – and thank-you … Continue reading →

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